Dense whole grain bread
So I decided to try the whole grain sourdough recipe from How to Make Bread by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou. I have never worked with whole grains before for bread. My 100% hydration starter was at peak and has been a workhorse so I know I had leavening power. I followed the recipe exactly except I substituted bukgur for cracked wheat as no grocery store around had cracked wheat. I followed instructions and amounts carefully.
I ended up with a doorstop worthy heavy brick of a loaf. Too embarrassed to post pic. The whole time I was mixing and"folding", I thought...this can't be right. And obviously, it wasn't. It "sort of" rised up but not in a meaningful way.
So, I think that the flours and grain really absorbed the water more than expected. In hindsight, I should have added more water right away and not be a slave to the recipe. But I didn't know what the dough was supposed to feel like so I didn't trust myself.
The formula was:
200g cracked wheat
200g water
400g whole wheat flour
12g salt
160g starter
140g water
the cracked wheat (bulgur) and 200g water was mixed together to soften the bulgur. Then flour and salt were mixed, then water and starter. Soaked bulgur went into the starter mix and then everything tossed together. It said I could add a little water if stiff, but I think I would have needed a lot of water. A series of stretch and folds never did produce a normal dough to me.
bulk fermented 1 1/2 hours, shaped, then proofed for 4 hours or so. Baked on pizza stone for 30 minutes or so at 475 degrees.
quite a learning experience.
Did using bulgur vs cracked wheat make a differnce. Or was it likely that it needed a higher hydration?
I cut into it today, very dense, tight crumb. Hubby said it tasted ok, but I couldn't get past the heaviness to enjoy it.
Lisa